MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

FMs in Buenos Aires call for strengthening of bi-regional dialogue

The convention, which was co-chaired by Argentina's Santiago Cafiero and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell

The Summit pitting together foreign ministers of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union (EU) came to an end Thursday in Buenos Aires with a declaration calling for the strengthening of bi-regional dialogue and multilateralism.

Without Mexico's Marcelo Ebrard who was involved in launching his country's bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games and Uruguay's Francisco Bustillo who was on a presidential trade mission to Japan, the Third Meeting of Foreign Ministers was held at the Argentine capital's Kirchner Cultural Center (CCK). It was the first such gathering since 2018.

The top diplomats agreed to promote a “progressive and positive agenda” to face global challenges, seeking an “inclusive, equitable and sustainable” economic recovery, for which they vowed to develop a roadmap of high-level events on shared priorities, including a bi-regional summit of Heads of State and Government to be held next year.

The Argentine Foreign Ministry issued a joint communiqué, released after a debate lasting more than eight hours in which representatives of 54 countries from the two continents took part. The document showed that the meeting, held under the theme “Renewing the bi-regional partnership to strengthen peace and sustainable development,” marked the “resumption of bi-regional dialogue based on a progressive, substantive, and positive agenda.”

The ministers concurred: “This meeting and the renewed engagement process are a turning point and the beginning of a major overhaul of relations between the two regions.”

During the convention, which was co-chaired by Argentina's Santiago Cafiero and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell, “ways to ensure an inclusive, equitable and sustainable post-pandemic economic recovery” were discussed, in addition to “food security, energy, health, social justice and the integration of production systems and value chains, including raw materials.”

The officials also agreed on the importance of strengthening trade and investment relations between the two regions and underlined their commitment to “jointly address global challenges” and pledged to “strengthen multilateralism and cooperation in multilateral fora and reinforce the bi-regional partnership based on shared values and a vision for the future of democratic, free and equitable societies.”